The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1887-06-09

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sii there, for she paid her board panetus
I l,. having means. as the neiehbors said
wha, the Poiter would have done with
out her board TO belp them. they conl
noi tLiak now they had H. Yet, befor
Mrs. Pottefs Upele El~aszer died. ihs
bad lived jus. as many other people live
Uocle Eben bad ne,er helped bis piece
all since be gave her modest cuift and
hundred dollars In cash. when she mar
riej Bowley Potter. a young fellow VII
Vas getting good wages 40 the erea, rin
factory,
Lonisa VAS pretty. capable hlsh
girl then; bat that was twenty years ago
Nov she was thin, sallow, ffstfui woman
Potter still worked 10 the rife shop, a
they called il. but be bad only dollar
day more wages than whsp he WAS mar
ried. and there were four children, Lofty
eighteen years old, pretty, pert and vain
worked in hosiery. Tom, sixteen, wal
In mt aud bolt shop, Idalia, a girl o
fourteen, was a cash girl in Holman a
Hsrpers great dry goods store. Tom and
Lofty paid their board. Idy clothed her
self, she could get bargains and remnants
so cheap; when she should be promoted
into sales lady, she. too, would pay like
the others. The fourth child. little Davy,
was only ten; be went to a pnblic school.
When Aunt Pratt was left widow, she
made up her mind to sell her farm and
board somewhere; she bad no children,
but she did have rheumatism enough Ia
tire her with it's aches and stiffness more
than family OF the noisiest boys and girls
could have tired her The farm was g
good one, well, improved, the house and
barns were in good repair, and there we
six cows and two horses, as well as plenty
Of farming implements. She got "a, 800
for the whole. The neighbors said it was
worth more; the buyer said it was worth
less; so shrewd Aunt Pratt thought the
price fair.
Then there was 81 500 in Dalton bank,
the slow accumulation of butter money,
egg money, the sale Of poultry and calves,
$4,000 in all, and every cent OF it her own.
Squire Hart, OF Dalton, who was executor
OF the will, invested the money 10 safe
ways at 6 per cent, aud Mrs. Pratt began
to look about her for home. She knew
that Louisa Potter had felt hurt about her
Uncle Pratt's will; be only left to her her
grandmother's mahogany furniture, and
the savings bank book in which he had
deposited the profits made out Of the
Friesland hens and white heifer calf she
left in his hands when she married--a sum
amounting to a hundred dollars now.
But Louisa and her husband had ex
pected more, and Mrs. Pratt was just
woman, capable Of understanding other
peoples feelings; so she did not wonder.
After much thought, and without any sug-
gestions from them, she proposed to come
into II. and board with Louisa. So they
gave to her Lotty's front bedroom and put
Lofty in with Ida; and as they cooked and
ate in the same room where they sat at
evening, Aunt Prstt's rocker, her foot
stool, her small round table and her work
basket were established in the sunny south
window, where she could look down into
The street and up into the sky; for this
was on corner, and the Potters
had the third story fiat,
1t was great change for Aunt Pratt,
but she was woman brought up in the
old New England fashion to do what she
perceived to be duty, however unpleas-
ant and painful, without shrinking or
and she made up her mind that
i WAS her duty to help the Potters.
She missed the fresh air Of the farm, the
luiet Of her own house, the new milk, the
sweet butter, the good bread; but she had
raid nothing as she sat day after day. in
her window, knitting or mending her
Bible open on the stand, and her thoughts
very busy with the things around her. as
we'll as with the things that are above.
For Aunt Pratt had made resolution to
cave her money in way 1t would do her
elatiyes the most good, aud she must
tudy them and their customs before she
ould discover what that was She soon
ound out thst they were always in debt.
'otter had good wages, Lofty Ind Tom
we're of his hands. Ida bad only her
,oard given her, and Dayy was lnherltor OF
Toms old clothes, and bis fathers too IL
eemed to Aunt Pratt that there must be
leak somewhere that she did not discoy
u at once.
She WAS reading her Bible in course,
md one day came upon verse 10 the
,rophesy OF Hsggai that seemed to eI'
plain the situation to her, and opened her
ayes. The next day Lofty came ia shiyer.
ne; she had caught severe cold and
,uddled over the cook stove wrapped 10
IN old shawl. coughed and sighed and
'colded all day, till she was too hoarse to
peak.
Have you got on your winter iiannelsf'
lsked Aunt Pratt, for il WAS November.
"Flannelsl | guess not | haven't got
my"
"why. LottyT
"Well. poor folks cant have everything.
I'd got 10 have winter suit, and there
vas such lovely one at the Boston store;
satin petticoat. with drapcry OF camel's
air-imitaiion mean. bat awful pretty
and real splendid basque, satin vest
,il, bxttons; only twenty dollars. ! tell
sou, Aunt Pratt. it vas swell and no mis-
lake; bu, couldn't afford soft hannels
.iier that
"ls i, thics dressf' querried Aunt
Pratt